Every year electrical utility poles are knocked down and destroyed in storms across the US and the world. Historically, thousands of miles of utility lines have been lost to adverse weather and other external forces, costing over a billion dollars a year to repair. Many consumers who depend on the utility supply have been left without service for weeks at a time, resulting in huge losses of produce, dairy and other inventory and equipment. Further, insurance companies are burdened by the large claims that result from the loss of utility services.
Present designs do not provide a means in all cases to cease the flow of power to downed conductors and transformers. Downed conductors often result in loss of life and damage or destruction of property.
Thus, what is needed is a system that monitors and responds to external stresses on utility conductors to prevent damage to these valuable conductors.